Oskar Ernst Bernhardt, also known as Abd-ru-shin or Abdruschin (18 April 1875 – 6 December 1941), was best known as the author of The Grail Message, which is his legacy.
Quick Facts Born, Died ...
Abd-ru-shin/Abdruschin |
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| Born | Oskar Ernst Bernhardt
(1875-04-18)18 April 1875
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| Died | 6 December 1941(1941-12-06) (aged 66)
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| Nationality | German |
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| Other names | Abd-ru-shin, Abdruschin, Abdrushin |
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| Occupation | Author |
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| Known for | In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message |
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| Website | Abd-ru-shin |
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Although some external sources regard Abd-ru-shin as prophet and leader of the Grail Movement, a millenarian new religious movement, Abd-ru-shin never claimed to lead a religious movement as his Grail Message was directed to the individual which claims to bring an explanation of the Divine Will and Laws of Creation for the earnest seeker. In 1936, Abd-ru-shin declared; "My aim is of a spiritual nature! But I am bringing no religion, I do not wish to found either a new church or any sect, but in simplicity I give a clear picture of the automatic activity in Creation which bears the Will of God, and from which man can clearly recognise what ways are good for him."[2]
Abd-ru-shin's legacy of the Grail Message was addressed to earnest seekers only and claims to brings a knowledge of Creation. Abd-ru-shin's writings emphasized on personal responsibility towards attaining conviction in his Grail Message.[3]
Abd-ru-shin also proclaimed that the Millennial kingdom of God would begin on earth but did not specify a specific time frame in his message nor in any other writings.[4] He also denied drawing his knowledge from external sources as he claimed in the words; "I am not a seer in the accepted sense, nor on the other hand do I draw from extraenous sources...I have no need of either Nor do I borrow from other quarters, as some sources suggest''[5]. Nonetheless, some find similarities with some Christian legends, as well as Theosophy and other Western Esotericism.
Bernhardt was born in Bischofswerda, in the Kingdom of Saxony, part of the German Empire, in 1875. He trained in business, and successfully established himself in Dresden. He traveled and wrote travel books, stories, and plays. He resided in New York and London. He was in London when World War I broke out and in 1915 he was interned by the British Government on the Isle of Man due to the outbreak of the First World War. He was released in the spring of 1919 and returned to Germany. Abd-ru-shin became aware of the need for spiritual values he expressed through his Grail Message during his internment. On Good Friday 1923, Bernhardt proclaimed that Jesus "came down to the Earth in order to transfer his task of the Mediator between God and mankind to the Son of Man." He began to write the spiritual writings of what ultimately become In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message beginning in 1923 and completed it in 1931. From 1924 he used the pen name "Abd-ru-shin" (originally "Abdruschin") of allegedly Persian-Arabic origin, which Bernhardt originally interpreted as meaning “The Son of the Holy Spirit”, but which many later authors have translated as "Son of Light". Bernhardt claimed to be the Messiah or Son of Man,[6] and foretold an imminent coming of God's Kingdom on Earth.
In 1928, he settled in an estate at Vomperberg, Tyrol. By the end of the 1920s Bernhardt had managed to attract a following of several thousand people, primarily Germans, Austrians, Swiss and Czechs. At Vomperberg, Berhardt developed a settlement for his followers. In 1936, Abd-ru-shin was arrested "because of infractions of currency laws". The Nazis arrested Abd-ru-shin in 1936 on the grounds of illegal foreign exchange from Germany to Austria. It turns out that this operation[clarification needed] was carried out in absentia, over his head, by two leaders of the Community. Therefore, he was unaware of anything and did not give his consent to this action. Records confirm that Abd-ru-shin had given an express order to his collaborators, that they should always strictly follow all legal requirements. Abd-ru-shin was arrested on that occasion without knowing anything about what was happening. Months later, he was declared innocent and released. The settlement ended when the Nazis got angry at him.[clarification needed] Many of his former members[clarification needed] were also angry with him. In 1938, Abd-ru-shin was arrested after Austria came under German occupation.[8]
He was described in newspapers as the Messiah of the Tyrol and the Prophet of Vomperberg. He admitted in the Grail Message that the "leading newspapers" did describe him so.[10] Certain strands of the Grail Movement consider Abd-ru-shin's wife Maria and her daughter divine as well.
It is argued that Bernhardt died in 1941, without his millennial prophecy being fulfilled. It is also argued that some of Bernhardt's followers would rationalise the failure of the prophecy of the millennium following his death by suggesting that the date of the coming of God's kingdom is unknowable. However, Abd-ru-shin never specified a time frame for the fulfillment of the Millennium as in his words from the Grail Message, he writes; '' This circumstance enables many events to be foreseen, because the Laws of Nature or Creation never deviate in their urge to develop. Here millennia make no difference. Out of these clearly foreseen and final irrevocable goals come forth great revelations shown to the specially blessed in spiritual pictures which passed on come to the knowledge of mankind. One thing however cannot be accurately predicted - the earthly time at which these revelations and promises find their fulfillment!''.
After the war, his family returned to Vomperberg and carried on his work leading the Grail Movement.[11]
Other writings by Abd-ru-shin published by Grail Foundation Press include The Ten Commandments of God and The Lord's Prayer, Questions and Answers, and Prayers.[12]
Abd-ru-shin (1990). In The Light of Truth The Grail Message. Germany: Stiftung Gralsbotschaft. p. 4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Abd-ru-shin (1990). In the Light of Truth The Grail Message. Germany: Stiftung Gralsbotschaft. pp. 203–207.
Abd-ru-shin. Questions and Answers. Germany: Stiftung Gralsbotschaft. pp. Question 31. ISBN 978-3-87860621-5. Sources for 'Messiah', 'true Christ', 'Son of Man', or 'biblical Immanuel':- Wilson, Bryan R. (1975). The Noble Savages: The Primitive Origins of Charisma and Its Contemporary Survival. University of California Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-520-02815-9.
... but their prominence and relative success when compared with such figures as Louwrens van Voorthuizen (Lou) in Holland, Georges Roux in France, and Oskar Ernst Bernhardt in Germany and Austria, all of whom claimed to be the messiah—is striking.
- Vojtisek, Zdenek (February 2006). "Millennial Expectations in the Grail Movement" (PDF). Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 9 (3): 61–79. doi:10.1525/nr.2006.9.3.061. ISSN 1541-8480.
In order to calm the public and hide his messianic claims, in 1937 Bernhardt ordered that the "Conclusion" be cut out of all unsold In the Light of Truth books. ... Four lectures and the "Conclusion" published in 1931 are omitted in the authorized postwar version. The reason for dropping three of the lectures is probably the same as the reason for omitting the "Conclusion" in 1937: they were too explicit in pointing to Bernhardt (Abd-ru-shin) as the Messiah. Of the omitted lectures, the fourth was probably unacceptable after the war due to ideas that might be considered racist.28
- Calvache, Antonio Carlos; Junior, Roberto C. P. (14 February 2021). "Refutation of the text 'Millennial Expectations in the Grail Movement' by Zdenek Vojtisek" (PDF). ODSA - O Dia Sem Amanhã. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
Vojtisek's claim that "In order to calm the public and hide his messianic claims, in 1937 Bernhardt ordered that the 'Conclusion' be cut out of all unsold In the Light of Truth books." is false. Every author does have the right to revise his work when he sees fit, and when circumstances indicate such a need. Back then, removing the "Conclusion" had no intention to "calm" anyone, much less to hide anything. The statement "Of the omitted lectures, the fourth was probably unacceptable after the war due to ideas that might be considered racist." is plain slanderous. (...) Abd-ru-shin has always indicated that all peoples should progress on their own, without foreign interference. He specifically describes this concept in the lecture "The beauty of the peoples". None of the dissertations taken from the original edition has the slightest racist nature; besides, they would be in direct contradiction to the previously mentioned lecture "The beauty of the peoples".
- Kürti, László (April 2001). "Psychic Phenomena, Neoshamanism, and the Cultic Milieu in Hungary". Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 4 (1): 322–350. doi:10.1525/nr.2001.4.2.322.
Cultic milieu books, long familiar to Westerners, are being translated into Hungarian and sold in legitimate bookstores. The latest examples are Akashic Records by Victor Charon and The Message of the Grail by Abd-Ru-Shin [Oskar Ernst Bernhardt (1875-1941)]. Both are fashionable books involving esoteric worldviews with messianic claims, and both are widely distributed on the Hungarian publishing market.
- « Etwa seit 1923 spürte O. E. Bernhardt seinen besonderen religiösen Auftrag. Er betrachtete sich selbst als Gottesgesandten und als den verheißenen "Menschensohn", der das unvollkommene Werk des "Gottessohnes" Jesus Christus vollenden sollte. 1924 ließ er sich scheiden und begann wenig später mit der Veröffentlichung von Abhandlungen in der von ihm herausgegebenen Zeitschrift "Gralsblätter". Dabei nannte er sich "Abd-ru-shin". » (Plagge 2003: 120-122).
- « Abd-ru-shin (= Oskar Ernst Bernhardt; 1875-1941), ein Deutscher, sah das Werk Jesu Christi als gescheitert an und verkündigte sich selbst als den „wahren Christus“, welcher der Menschheit die rettende „Gralsbotschaft“ übermittelt. » (Gassmann 1999).
- « Das dreibändige 1926 erschiene Werk Im Lichte der Wahrheit – Gralsbotschaft von Abd-ru-shin ist eine Sammlung von 168 Vorträgen und enthält die Hauptgedanken des Mannes, der sich als „Menschensohn“82 verstand und in einer Pyramide auf dem Tiroler Vomperberg begraben ließ. » Diemling (2012: 153).
EPILOGUE
Abdruschin has now completed His
Message to mankind.
In him has arisen
IMANUEL,
the Envoy of God,
the Son of Man,
whose coming to judge
and to save those
who have not cut themselves
adrift from salvation,
was foretold by Jesus the Son of God
in corroboration of the prophecies
of the prophets of old.
He carries the insignias of His high Office:
the living Cross of the Truth
radiating from Him
and the Divine Dove above Him,
the same in-signias
as were borne by the Son of God.
Awaken, oh man! For your spirit is asleep!— Abdruschin, In the Light of Truth. GRAIL MESSAGE. GREAT EDITION 1931
- Janson, Marloes (2021). "6. Beyond Religion. The Grail Movement and Eckankar". Crossing Religious Boundaries: Islam, Christianity and 'Yoruba Religion' in Lagos, Nigeria. The International African Library. Cambridge University Press. p. 154. doi:10.1017/9781108979160.007. ISBN 978-1-108-83891-7. LCCN 2020055275. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
The Grail Movement was founded by the self-proclaimed Messiah Oskar Ernst Bernhardt...
- King, Jamie (2024). Cults: Coercion and Control: The World's Most Notorious Cults (And the People Who Escaped Them). Summersdale. p. unpaginated. ISBN 978-1-83799-281-2. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
Newspapers described how Bernhardt now called himself the Messiah of the Tyrol, and the Prophet of Vomperberg.
- Kurt Hutten: Seher - Grübler - Enthusiasten. 1997, ISBN 3-7918-2130-X, S. 531–549
- Helmut Obst: Apostel und Propheten der Neuzeit – Gründer christlicher Religionsgemeinschaften des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts. 4., stark erweiterte und aktualisierte Auflage. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2000, ISBN 3-525-55438-9
- Andreas Plagge: "Bernhardt, Oskar Ernst". In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Band 22, Bautz, Nordhausen 2003, ISBN 3-88309-133-2, Sp. 120–122, .
- Georg Schmid: Kirchen, Sekten, Religionen. 2003, ISBN 3-290-17215-5, S. 219–221
- Lothar Gassmann: Zukunft, Zeit, Zeichen. Aufruf zur Wachsamkaeit, Verlag für Reformatorische Erneurung, Kaiserstr.78, D-42329 Wuppertal, 103 Seiten, .
- Patrick Diemling: Neuoffenbarungen Religionswissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf Texte und Medien des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, Universitätsverlag Potsdam, 2012, .
